Wherever there is a pool of low-income homeowners or other groups of individuals who are financially vulnerable, the potential for greedy mortgage companies or con-artists to step in looms large. While the actions of these companies may not always be illegal, the result can be the same: the homeowners may lose their home and the professionals who supposedly 'helped them' end up profiting. These helpers are predators – seeking their prey from the elderly, the sick, the poor. Predatory lending practices can leave victims homeless and defeated, stripped of self-respect and hope, their credit ruined.
The definition of predatory lending involves who really benefits in the mortgage transaction. The fact that the homeowner does NOT benefit is what turns a legal mortgage into a predatory lending practice which can and should be reported. If uncertain whether a mortgage action is legal, or actually fraud or a form of predatory lending, then one should still report it and find out for sure. In many cases only a fine line divides actual fraud from an ethical and legal transaction.
For more information on predatory lending and or to find out if you are a victim click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment